Can The Eagles Defense Be As Good As Last Year? Tim McManus Weighs In
The Super Bowl performance aside, the Eagles defense was very good last year. They gave up the least passing yards per game, had the most sacks, and were top 5 in interceptions. But the Eagles defense is going to look very different this season. Not just because they lost 5 starters, including both Safeties and both linebackers, but also because they have a new DC in Sean Desai. So it is fair to ask if the defense will be able to keep up that same production from last season.
To get some answers to that question, The Best Show Ever talked to Tim McManus:
“At a baseline, the expectation should be that they are going to be a good defense. The reason that I say that is because of the defensive front. Good Football teams thrive when they are strong on the offensive and defensive lines. The Eagles have that down pat. Everything else gets a lot easier from there. It takes pressure off the Linebackers, Safeties, and Corners. They also have two proven corners. That’s the next most important position. So they have got the important parts down.”
The Eagles defense lost Javon Hargrave, but they replaced him with top pick Jalen Carter. They also added Nolan Smith to an edge group that already featured 3 double-digit sack guys. This line should still be very good at getting after the QB. And when you can consistently get pressure on the QB, your defense tends to play pretty well. Especially when they are also paired with two top Cornerbacks like Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
But that does not mean there are no issues with the team. Tim McManus told us there are still several questions he has about this defense, starting with the new DC Sean Desai:
“How quickly are they going to adapt to what he does? That is going to take time. So it is possible they are better at the end of the year than they are at the start of it.”
And while the D-Line and CB rooms look great, Tim McManus has some concerns about what the Eagles have at Safety and Linebacker:
“They could take step back on defense. You don’t lose the interception leader, both your starting Safeties and Linebackers, and one of your most productive Defensive Lineman in Javon Hargrave, and just think that you can recreate that. There are legitimate questions about this defense. Baseline is they are going to be good. But how good depends on how those questions are answered at linebacker and safety.”
Tim McManus also discussed his expectations for Jalen Hurts this year, how the RB rotation will look, and more about what he has seen in Training Camp so far.
You can listen to his full conversation with us below:
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Where Every Eagles Player Falls On the NFL Top 100 Players List
Every year the NFL releases its own list of the Top 100 players in the league, as voted on by the players themselves. And it is that time of the year again. On Monday, 7/25, they released the first 10. And now they will release another 10 names every weekday. The top 10 will be revealed on Monday, August 7th.
And every year the NFL Top 100 list contributes to a lot of conversation. Did they get the rankings right? Why is this player so high? How did they leave this guy off the list? Just because they are players, does not mean they are without bias. Sometimes the rankings make absolutely no sense. Like how last year 7 players were ranked over Patrick Mahomes, including Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and somehow Jonathan Taylor. Then Patrick Mahomes went on to win another MVP, and another Super Bowl, and will likely be back at 1 again. Players can be as fickle and unreasonable as we are.
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And Eagles fans are sure to have strong opinions on where our players fall on the list. Last season, just two Eagles made the Top 100, Darius Slay (77), and Jason Kelce (71). Then they went on to have one of the best rosters in the league and came just short of winning the Super Bowl. No Lane Johnson, James Bradberry, or AJ Brown, who all went on to be All-Pros. Clearly, the players had it wrong.
But will they right that wrong this year? How many Eagles will make the list, and where will they be ranked? As the list is revealed, we will track where every Eagles player falls, as well as who was left off altogether. And while we go we can try to figure out just how outraged we should be about where they fell on the list.
Here is where Each Eagles Player fell in the NFL’s Top 100: